D & I had the opportunity to travel to LA a few weeks ago. It was a short trip, 48 hours to be exact. If you don’t already know this about me, I am a huge planner. So, of course the planner in me started researching and mapping out all the fun places I wanted to visit before we left. We had an absolute blast and both decided that if we ever got a vacation home, it would be in California! Although D & I didn’t have time to visit everything on my list, I thought I would still share it with you just in case you found yourself in LA and needed some suggestions! I also included a gallery of our pictures from our trip. Enjoy my LA Travel Guide!!
**If you have been to LA, I would love to hear if you have anymore suggestions ( what to see, what to eat, where to stay, etc.) – please do weigh in via the comments below!**
Downtown LA Travel Guide:
WHAT TO SEE:
- The American at Brand – The ultimate shopping, dining and entertainment destination.
- LACMA – The largest art museum in the western United States.
WHAT TO EAT:
- Bottega Louie restaurant & Gourmet Market – The service/ Waiters were amazing, they have the best brunch I have ever eaten. Their Macaroons were to die for. And the restaurant is gorgeous.
- Alfred Coffee – Yummy coffee and the cutest shop there is. Also, Kendall Jenner has been spotted here multiple times so it’s gotta be the best right?
- Mr. Holmes Bakehouse – Cookies, doughnuts, pastries, you name it… they have it!
- Sprinkles Cupcake ATM – It’s exactly what it sounds like… an ATM machine that serves fresh cupcakes! (bucket list item for sure!)
WHERE TO STAY:
Beverly Hills
WHAT TO SEE:
- Hollywood Sign – This is a classic must see.
- Beverly Hill Hotel – The average price to stay here is around $500 a night… YIKES. So, it might not be realistic for most of us to stay here, but it is absolutely gorgeous to walk around and you can eat at the restaurant even if you are not a guest!
- Gravity LA – The cutest little boutique and perfect insta pic. opportunity (and HAYYO!! You know I’m all about that).
WHAT TO EAT:
- Fonūts – I LOVE DOUGHNUTS and these made it it on the “LA’s best doughnuts” list!
- Chaumont Bakery & Café – If you like sweet treats and yummy brunch, this is the place to be.
WHERE TO STAY:
Santa Monica
WHAT TO SEE:
- THE BEACH!!! It was super clean and gorgeous.
- Third Street Promenade – The perfect place to walk around, shop, eat, and great entertainment. And it is gorgeous at night time when it is all lit up.
WHAT TO EAT:
- Brentwood Country Mart – A local shopping and food center in the Brentwood district.
- Sugarfish By Sushi Nozawa – They had amazing service and the sushi was outstanding. Also, it is right across the street from the Third Street Promenade.
WHERE TO STAY:
11 comments
Hey Ashley!
I have been to LA several times and honestly most everything I like about the area is outside of the actual city. Like Santa Monica, all of the beach towns south of LA are amazing and not very far. Huntington Beach and Laguna Beach are two of my favorites. At Huntington there is a lot of shopping and a really cool waffle sandwich place called Bruxie! And if you can make it down to San Diego I highly recommend going to see the Hotel Del Coronado! If you’re staying closer to LA and Beverly Hills, Rodeo Drive is cool for sightseeing and also taking a walk down Robertson Blvd is fun. That is where the Ivy is, which is a super famous restaurant that you will definitely see famous people eating at. Since you like donuts, there is a place in Costa Mesa (I think) called Sidecar donuts and it is SO good. I had the coconut cream donut and it was great. If you are able to go to Disneyland or California Adventure, those are a blast and honestly pretty historic since they have been around much longer than the parks in Florida. Another cool thing to do is get tickets to a live audience of a show, like Jimmy Kimmel or James Corden! You can get tickets to Ellen but those are harder to come by.
I also really enjoyed the Warner Brothers Studio tour because I am a big Friends, Gilmore Girls, and Pretty Little Liars fan and those have all been filmed there.
Hope this helps for your next trip!!!
Best,
Natalie
can i ask where your sunglasses are from? love them!
They are Ray-Ban
Beautiful pictures and great ideas! Makes me want to go and have those macaroons !
YES to Sugarfish! So good. Next time you have to try Butcher’s Daughter – their brunch is amazing. Next time you need to drive up to Malibu as well and eat at The Farm! Love seeing your favorite spots!
When I was in LA last summer for an internship my FAVORITE thing to do was go to Malibu and either eat at Malibu Farm on the pier or grab the best acai bowl I have ever had at Sunlife Organics!
Love this! Any recommended places to stay in LA/ where you stayed?
Loving your blog already! So much fun and saving this for a future trip to LA! Also..love your photos! Do you have a high quality camera or do you use your phone and a special software to edit? I love taking trips and want to be able to have the best pictures to look at afterwards! After all, pictures and memories are all that’s left!
I take some with my phone and some on my camera (Canon 6d)
Hi Ashley!
I’m from Santa Monica and the next time you’re in town, you should check out Main Street! It’s more local shops than the Third Street Promenade. On Saturdays they have a huge farmers market in the morning, and the California Historical Museum in a super cute old victorian house ( i volunteered there in high school). A really fun thing to do is to walk the Promenade, and then over to Main Street and then the Venice Boardwalk. They all line up really nice. Have a lovely day!
When my son and I were on our LA mission trip with COTH last June, we ate at a little Cuban restaurant called GiGi’s in LA….AMAZING food, especially the pastries!
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